When everything is connected, the trust network around your data is one thing. You give permission to people by default with your data by connecting services, eg Alexa to Hue, Smarthings, Apple HomeKit and much more.

Giving them physical access and crossing the digital/physical divide is a whole new thing - welcome to Amazon Key.

The key (excuse the pun) thing here for me is around trust. Do you trust the brand enough to let someone into your home or is it because there has been a spate of thefts from parcels left outside, missed deliveries, or your neighbours' are fed up with taking in your parcels? So the big debate here will be 'does the convenience outweigh the personal space intrusion?'

The other question this raises of course are issues around insurance. You are voluntarily leaving your inner sanctum, your safe place, open to a complete stranger. Of course you can monitor the events in terms of when and where, as well as physically see them on the camera (providing it hasn't gone off in a power cut).

How would the standard policy wording need to change? Who lives here and who has random stranger access? Do the firms that do this need to be certified or registered in some way? Does it void the policy entirely? We have all seen the examples of people shouting through letter boxes to their Alexa to open a smart lock - now we are actively doing this for them. I appreciate they are not then sitting down, having a cup of tea and making themselves at home.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out and how insurance firms a) react and b) need to change to support another retail experience change.

For me, I still like going to see the neighbours, having a chat, checking in on how they are and saying thanks in person for being there to accept my parcels.

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The service is called Amazon Key, and it relies on a Amazon’s new Cloud Cam and compatible smart lock. The camera is the hub, connected to the internet via your home Wi-Fi. The camera talks to the lock over Zigbee, a wireless protocol utilized by many smart home devices.